Silver Unicorn
by ArchangelSelaphiel
Summary: A mild AU to Season 8, Episode 17. Castiel's mind wanders to the events of the day during the worst moments... and he comes to some startling revelations.


Pairing: Meg/Castiel

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1626

Warnings: Character Death, Angst

()()()()

"_Hey, let me ask you something. What exactly is it you're looking for, when you stare at me like that Clarence?"_

()()()()

Castiel released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding... something he found unusual; as an angel, he didn't hold the same requirement of drawing breath that Dean or Sam did. But this wasn't the only time he found his vessel acting in a way that he knew the older Winchester would call 'Out of Order', and the thought drew a frown unbidden.

He didn't have time to go over the day's events in his head. Crowley's demons were closing in on them all and with Meg injured (not that he would count on the demon even if she were at full health), Sam in a worryingly questionable physical state (to which he could hear Dean right now, asking what he meant by saying his brother was beyond repair), and he himself having to make sure he followed Naomi's plan... There was too much to contemplate already.

But what echoed in his mind was not of his control.

"Stop... there's a draft." He murmured, holding a hand out and causing the man beside him to pause. "Stand back."

()()()()

_Castiel blinked, eyebrows furrowing lightly as his head tilted; a typical sign of confusion, and one the demon was clearly used to. She scoffed, but spoke without further prompt._

"_As adorable as I'm sure Deany finds that curious puppy-dog look your sporting right now, that's not going to cut it with me. Come on now, didn't I take care of your quirky, bee-loving issues not all that long ago? Level with me here Cassy."_

_Castiel's lips twitched softly in fond remembrance of the bees before bright blue eyes locked on to Meg's face. Dimly, he felt a mild pang of regret for her physical state; if their current situations had been different and he had had less of a pressing urgency for the tablet, he may have lingered to make sure those wounds healed properly._

_Meg's lips twitched in a brief smirk before an eyebrow rose, a silent 'are you going to talk, or do I have to keep going?' expression taking hold... one that he recognized well enough._

"_I don't know what you mean." He started, blue eyes flickering to the doorway where he knew the Winchester brothers were going over maps and speaking lowly amongst themselves. "If I've been... staring inappropriately, then I apologize-" _

_His words were cut off by brief, amused huff before the liquor bottle tipped upward again. _

()()()()

He couldn't stop it, the pressing _need_ and _desire_ to see his best friend, his family, bleeding out on the dusty crypt floor with his own blade protruding from the man's body. His grace screamed inside him, burning and struggling against the alien hold of whatever Naomi had done to him. But he could no more fight the invisible grip over him then stop the images that stole inappropriately over his thoughts as the situation spiraled out of control.

"Cas, fight it!"

Striking Dean sent a debilitating wave of nausea through him and it took every ounce of what little willpower he had to hold back the bile at the crunch his body made when it struck the wall.

()()()()

"_You ever miss the apocalypse?"_

_A grim smile tugged at his lips."No, why would I miss the end of times?"_

"_I miss the simplicity." She murmured in response. "I was bad, you were good, it was easier."_

_Looking away from her injured face for a moment, he seemed to be considering her words as his eyes darted around the room. He didn't move to interrupt her at any point in her unusually somber ramble... though both of them knew he wasn't one to do that to anyone really. _

"_Now it's all so messy." The bottle tilted backwards again, and Castiel couldn't help the fleeting wonder if the alcohol was doing anything at all. "I'm kinda good, which sucks. You're kinda bad..."_

_When she trailed off a bit his gaze returned to her face, finding her staring at him with open amusement. "Which is actually all manner of hot."_

_Despite himself, he couldn't help but share in that mild amusement, even if the full weight of her words hadn't settled in yet. He leaned forward a little to give her his full attention as she continued on, and shook off the pleasant thrum that the expressive twitch of her eyebrow shot through him._

"_If we survive this, I'm gonna order some pizza and we're gonna move some furniture around, you understand?"_

_His brow furrowed lightly, and shook his head. "No, I-I-" But he paused, seeing her intent stare and that _smirk._ "Wait actually..."_

()()()()

When the stone covering the tablet broke and he was able to grab a brief respite from the thrumming force of Naomi's control, the grief and agony over what he'd done to Dean clouded everything. The man stood on his knees before him, still looking at Castiel as if there were hope. Hope to see his friend return... to fight the control.

This wasn't the first time Castiel felt horror and shame at his actions, and not even because of something he'd done to Dean. Reaching down to grab the tablet, the resulting shock was like a key to the chain on his mind and he nearly gasped at the blissful release.

"Cas...?"

But it was fleeting. He couldn't stay here... he couldn't risk hurting Dean anymore. Sam and Meg were fighting against Crowley for the tablet; he could feel the King of Hell's presence outside the building. He had to get away. But first...

"Cas... Cas, no... No, Cas..."

Reaching for the human he considered a brother, he healed the damage he himself had done, before taking a step back.

()()()()

"_Castiel you still didn't answer me."_

_Her tone was humorous, but he knew well enough that her bringing it up again meant he wasn't going to get out of the conversation without giving something. But he could think of no words to give her- he hadn't even realized he had been staring. But now that he thought on it, it was a common occurrence since the demon had tentatively started helping them... and then helping him._

"_What would you say, if I told you that being... 'good'... was not always a burden? Being 'good' does have its rewards." He murmured after another minute of silence._

"_Well as of yet I've reaped none of these rewards. Your two pet monkeys don't trust me as far as Famine could throw me, and I've just gotten out of a year's worth of happy fun time with Crowley."_

_She shifted uncomfortably on the couch, one of the only times he'd seen her drop the mask she hid behind to show how she really felt about the situation. The brief downturn of her lips and the wince were quickly covered over though as she found a better spot on the pillows and drank down more of the burning liquid._

"_But you said earlier..."_

_This time it was her turn to give him a quizzical look with furrowed eyebrows... before she realized he was reiterating her earlier joke in a manner that meant he'd thought she had been completely serious. One eyebrow rose slowly._

"_Go on. Are you actually offering that up, Angel-boy? Doesn't that go against your moral code?"_

_He smiled back lightly, tilting his head a little and locking eyes with the female demon. "I would not be an Angel of the Lord if I did not keep my promises."_

()()()()

He had heard the revving of an engine, the squeal of tires... he watched as the impala tore from the parking lot, leaving Crowley standing on the wet pavement with the bloody angel blade hanging loosely from his hand. Standing atop the roof of the warehouse with the tablet clutched tightly in one fist, Castiel grimaced at the scene below but did not move until the King of Hell had left for more then five minutes.

He found himself beside Meg's body in an instant. Regret and guilt bubbled in the back of his mind... two emotions that were no longer strange to him after his time on earth with the Winchesters. Blood, warm and slightly steaming in the cold air, began to pool out from underneath her like a morbid red aura. But despite everything, Castiel noticed that she wore a faint smile... as if she had died doing exactly what she wanted.

If anything, it made her look beautiful in the dim light of the empty lot.

The angel knelt down before her, wiping away a thin trail of blood from her lips- and jolted back as if stung. It was a rare thing for angels to catch the last memory of a soul when it leaves... and catching one from a demon was nearly unheard of. Questions about Meg's humanity flickered through his mind for a split-second before the memory washed over him like a rolling mist.

_As Meg stood there staring at Crowley with a grim smirk set into her expression, she nodded once. Behind her Sam frowned, hesitating in mild confusion._

"_Go, save your brother." Her eyes darted back to him quickly and the easy grin that stole over her seemed more relaxed then any other she had given the Winchester before."... And my unicorn."_

As Castiel opened his wings to leave the lot before anyone discovered him, he paused only briefly when he realized that somewhere in the time of that vision he had unconsciously entwined his fingers with hers. A soft black feather drifted down from the empty space where he had knelt... before dissolving in the empty vessel's open palm.


End file.
